Brian Harvey powers to second straight Bridge of Flowers win

SHELBURNE FALLS – The moral of an old fable is that slow and steady wins the race. With all due respect to Aesop, Allston’s Brian Harvey would certainly beg to differ, as he won his second consecutive Bridge of Flowers 10K classic with a time of 31:22 on a beautiful Saturday morning.

Harvey took the lead while heading back over the bridge and didn’t relinquish it. The 24-year-old was part of a five-man lead pack.

In the early stages, the lead shifted among a handful of runners. At the start, Bryan Morseman jumped out to the front.

Morseman was challenged by an aggressive group chasing him, including 2005 champion Nate Jenkins, Brad Mish and Justin Freeman. They hung together at the top of the heap until the treacherous climb up Crittenden Hill.

“I’ve raced for close to 10 years now, so I’m used to being in packs like that,” Harvey said of the early crowd.

For most competitors, that steep incline, a kilometer in distance, tends to be the toughest part of the race. For Harvey, it was where he broke away from second-place finisher Freeman (32:05) and took a commanding 19-second lead.

“Before the race I was telling myself that it’s only four to five minutes,” Harvey said of the race’s climb portion. “I kind of have this strategy of building up a gap while on the hill too.”

As he headed back down the rough terrain of the dirt portion of Crittenden Hill, Harvey’s speed as well as his lead increased. According to Saturday’s victor, that part of the grueling 10K course is the hardest to manage.

“Going downhill, it’s almost bit out of control at points,” Harvey said of the rapid decline. “It’s almost like your legs roll. It’s fun.”

Harvey attributed much of his victory to his knowledge of the course and simply knowing how to win the Bridge of Flowers.

“I wanted to run a similar race to the one I ran last year,” he said. “My plan was to keep with the pack for about two miles and then break away and go fast up the hill.”